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n 18-day search for three Israeli teenagers who vanished
while hitchhiking in the West Bank came to a bitter end Monday in an open
field, under a small pile of rocks, with the discovery of bodies presumed to be
theirs.
The find, which culminated a massive military manhunt,
plunged Israel into a state of collective grief and anger, prompting
spontaneous candlelight vigils around the country and provoking a threat of
retribution from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Saying the three had been “abducted and murdered in cold
blood by human animals,” Netanyahu vowed, “Hamas is responsible and Hamas will
pay.”
The Palestinian faction, regarded as a terrorist
organization by Israel and the United States, has not claimed responsibility
for the teens’ disappearance. The grim conclusion to the manhunt will add to
the pressure on #Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to cut ties with
Hamas.
News of the discovery came as Israelis grappled with the
fallout from revelations that one of the teenagers had telephoned police
shortly after being abducted and that officers had failed to act on the call
for hours. “I’ve been kidnapped,” he said, according to Israeli news reports,
which also said the sounds of gunshots could be heard later in the call.
After an investigation, four police officials were removed
from their posts Monday.
Eyal Yifrah, 19, Gil-Ad Shaer, 16, and Naftali Frenkel, 16,
went missing June 12 as they were hitchhiking home from the yeshiva they
attended in the West Bank.
Frenkel was a dual Israeli-U.S. citizen. President Obama
issued a statement Monday condemning the deaths “in the strongest possible
terms,” while urging “all parties to refrain from steps that could further
destabilize the situation.”
According to army spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, troops
and civilian volunteers discovered the bodies in a field near the Palestinian
town of Halhoul.
After initial identification in the field and notification
of the families, the bodies were flown by helicopter to the Abu Kabir forensic
medicine institute in Tel Aviv. In keeping with Jewish tradition, the families
intend to bury the bodies as soon as possible.
The abductors have not been found. A manhunt continues for
two suspects named by Israeli intelligence as responsible for the kidnapping:
Hamas activists Marwan Qawasmeh and Amer Abu Eisheh, who disappeared the day
the youths did.
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| Israelis light candles at the bus stop where three teenagers were last seen alive near Hebron. |
The search for the teens focused on the Hebron area; thousands of troops went door to door, divers descended into cisterns, and civilian volunteers helped soldiers scour caves and pits throughout the mountainous countryside. About 400 Palestinians were detained.
As news of the deaths spread Monday, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, abruptly adjourned its session, canceling all planned voting.
Netanyahu called an urgent meeting of his security Cabinet on Monday night to weigh Israel’s response. As it convened, Netanyahu expressed condolences to the families of the three teenagers. “We are deeply saddened. The entire nation weeps with you,” he said.
Netanyahu did not disclose what measures against Hamas were being considered. The Cabinet met for three hours and adjourned without announcing any decisions. Several members of Netanyahu’s coalition have been calling for a military operation to crush Hamas, as well as the imposition of the death penalty for terrorists.
Israel has used the death penalty only once, against convicted Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann.
“There is no forgiveness for murderers of children,” said Economy Minister Naftali Bennett. “Now is a time for actions, not words.”
Israel frequently responds to attacks with increased settlement construction. Labor lawmaker Shelly Yachimovich warned that would “cast a match into an already burning barrel.”
Despite political differences, an outpouring of condolences for the families and condemnation of the killings came from across the political spectrum.
Israelis held spontaneous vigils throughout the country Monday night. Many gathered to light candles and sing together at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, where tens of thousands had gathered only the night before with hopes for the teens’ safe return.
In the West Bank, a spokesman for Abbas said he called an urgent meeting of the Palestinian leadership for Tuesday to discuss “the latest political developments and implications of recent events.”
Abbas has strongly condemned the kidnapping and instructed his security forces to assist in recovery efforts. His comments won appreciation from Netanyahu as well as the families of the abducted youths. However, they placed him at odds with many Palestinians, as well as with Hamas, with which he recently reconciled to form a short-term national accord government pending elections next year.
“Abbas is in a very delicate situation now,” said Shaul Shay of the Institute for Policy and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center at Herzliya. Caught between condemning the killing and maintaining the fragile partnership, “bridging this impossible situation will not be an easy task” for Abbas, Shay told reporters.
Netanyahu has repeatedly urged Abbas to undo his pact with Hamas, which contributed to the scuttling of peace talks being brokered by U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry.
As intelligence obtained during the operation narrowed the search to the area of Halhoul near Hebron, clashes broke out Monday afternoon between Palestinians and soldiers in the area the bodies were found. Israeli intelligence believes the two Hamas fugitives thought to be responsible are hiding in the area.
Israeli police moved to heightened alert to counter any acts of reprisal for the teens’ deaths, media reported.
According to Israeli media, the three teens may have sealed their fate with the phone call to police. Authorities are said to believe they were killed during the call or shortly after. LA Times
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